Recently during one of my weekly walks around Buffalo, I
stumbled upon something special on the East Side. Two young, creative artists
and friends who have set up shop off Broadway just outside of downtown were
hard at work getting their woodworking shop in order. Nathaniel Hall and Eric Jude Mott were nice enough to take me on a tour of their building at 343 Hickory Street. They
currently occupy the first floor primarily, but are working on making repairs
and alterations to the second floor for a unique gallery and living space. They
have been in the space since September of last year.
Mott is not originally from Buffalo, but fell in love with
the city shortly after his arrival. He enrolled in the furniture program at
Buffalo State College where he met Nathaniel Hall. Before coming to Buffalo,
Nathaniel had been designing and producing furniture and functional products
for years. He has worked at the high end Lee Weitzman Furniture company in
Chicago – he opened his own shop for a period, and worked as a carpenter in Las
Vegas for a period of time.
After about a year at Buffalo State, the two were
disappointed with the program and decided that investing $40,000 in shop
equipment was a better investment than a $40,000 piece of paper, so they joined
forces and set up a working studio. I caught up with the pair shortly after my visit to
their shop and was fortunate enough to get a ton of info from them both.
They settled on the East Side primarily because of the
incredible amount of great spaces with very affordable rates. The building they
found could not have been more perfect – the rent is reasonable, they have a
great relationship with the landlord who is allowing them to alter and define
the space as they like, and they’re only minutes outside of downtown. “The East Side wasn’t a conscious decision,” explains Mott, “It wasn’t until sometime
after that we realized the importance of the East Side.”
The flexibility and expression of creativity in design keeps
Hall going every day, “As an artist, what we dream can become reality,” says
Hall, “As much as I enjoy this idea I also enjoy the fact that in this world,
bad design exists. I want to find a cure in most instances of this. In my work
I desire to improve the quality of life for the interacting individual. I draw
inspiration from daily encounters.” Mott has a growing discontent for his
surroundings and modern disposable living. “It’s not just about creating, it’s
about developing an item that will sustain not because it was engineered to
resist decomposition, but because that item contains evidence of patience,
skill, and intent,” he explains.
Although Mott and Hall share a workspace, they work
independently of each other and have their own individual business names; Mott
has Wolfe and Rabbit and Hall has RxMadera (prescription wood). Wolfe and Rabbit
and RxMadera products are available online at Etsy and RxMadera will have a
website operational very soon. Mott will be offering his products at
515 Main Street for the 500 Block Party and later in the year on September 29
for the WNY Fiber Festival in Emery Park.
Neither of the artists have a specific audience that they
are trying to cater to, just simply those who appreciate good, innovative
design. “My wood eyewear is very custom and specialized. I take great pride
when I say 100% hand made in the United States, Buffalo NY,” explains Mott, “I
provide the epitome of Retro, a 21 century revision of fashion, function and
form spanning four decades. A bold, confident and elegant statement for any
individual proud to support hand crafted made right here in Buffalo New York.”
Hall’s favorite medium to work is wood and he is often
inspired by historic pieces. “When I’m creating pieces of furniture, I always
investigate past designs. How can I improve them?” he asks, “What, if any, is a
problem within the design? History is always present if reclaimed materials are
used, as I see it. I recently made a custom countertop made of hemlock from a
balloon style built house that was built in 1819. Boards of this size and species today are
almost unheard of, my estimation would make the age of that piece close to 300
years old. I milled the piece down, sawed it into smaller widths, added some
details and glued the piece back together; that tree has been reborn.”
Walking around their shop the duo have some really creative
designs and it wouldn’t take much to imagine some of the products like the wood
eyewear to really take off. They both see the value in the East Side, but
recognize that it will still be quite some time before others catch on. “Space
is abundant and cheap but the stigma that comes with even inviting people to
the East Side is often difficult for the unfamiliar to overcome,” explained
Hall, “I do believe Buffalonian’s views of the East Side will change, but only
with time and exposure.”
Be sure to check out their current products that are
available online and support some great local artists.
You can contact Nathaniel directly at Dawgnip99@yahoo.com or get in touch with Eric via wolfeandrabbit@gmail.com about their various offerings.